


watching the birds

by wortfee



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Birds, Fluff, General Gentleness, M/M, Summer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-02
Updated: 2016-04-02
Packaged: 2018-05-30 12:46:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6424720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wortfee/pseuds/wortfee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The summer is ending. Rafa might be in love with a giant named Marc. He still eats pancakes and still helps his father with the horses and is still teased by his siblings. </p><p>Some things just don't change that fast.</p>
            </blockquote>





	watching the birds

**Author's Note:**

  * For [apollothyme](https://archiveofourown.org/users/apollothyme/gifts).



> i was inspired by zayn's new music. thank you zayn you're lit. 
> 
> this is only for my muffin babe gi, i hope you enjoy it. <33 (all the other lovelies who read this: i hope you enjoy it too ofc <3)

Rafinha meets Marc in the summer. It's the summer he's getting twenty one and it should be an exciting one, one full of adventure and road trips, going out to parties and getting drunk. In reality his summer is rather lame. It has a lot to do with the fact that he's getting drunk and going to parties the whole year and that adventures and roadtrips cost money he, a poor literature student, doesn't have, but mostly it is because he is back at home.

Home, for Rafa means several things. He considers his flat in Barcelona home, and the tiny Chinese restaurant that is one and a half street away. He considers people home, Neymar and Dani and Thiago and their sweaty hugs. But home in a way that feels warm and like fresh brewed coffee and the perfume of his mother, is the farm of his parents. He promised both his mom and his dad that he would spend the whole summer with them, after he travelled through Europe and Canada the last three summers in a row.

His days are the same, and it would be boring if he didn't love playing football with Thiago and picking up his sister from her friends and glaring at them and at least feeling like he is intimidating. Rafa feels the sweetness of pancakes every morning, and he eats them all, hungry or not, because his mother smiles at him like he is her own personal sun when he does.

"You need strength to help your father with the horses," his mother always says, and pets his head like Rafa is five again. Thiago snickers. Rafa rolls his eyes and pretends that his chest isn't glowing from all the pampering.

Rafa does help his father with the horses. He forgot how hard it is, but he needs some exercise anyway and his shirt sticking to his skin reminds him of the days he spent with Thiago at the beach when they wore both children.

"Have you been at the water hole already?" his father asks him when they are finished. Rafa can only shake his head. He doesn't even know why he hasn't gone there since it is one of the favourite places in his world - but he can't describe the feeling, only that it is better to wait.

 

~

 

Marc, quite literally, stumbles into his life.

Rafa is on his way to walk to the little pub all the old men always meet up in because he is need of a beer and a football match on the crappy TV they have in the pub. He wanted to ride there with one of the horses, but Thiago didn't let him.

"The new owners of the pub aren't that fond of horses shitting on their driveway, take one of the bikes or the mofa," his brother instructed, but Rafa took neither in the end and decided to walk. The way isn't that long and he enjoys the sun and the humid air.

He watches the birds, and stops in his tracks, eyes trained on the sky. Rafa loves watching the birds because they are freedom, but they are terrifying in their own way, always able to fly away and you can't do anything about it, only watch them fly and capture the ways their bodies are flowing in the air.

Rafa, too caught up in his thoughts, doesn't notice someone coming up behind him, neck strained to watch the birds as well.

That someone promptly runs into him.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry," and Rafa only turns around then. In front of him stands a man who is practically a giant. Not only a giant, but a good looking one who seems to have pointy teeth when he smiles.

"I -," Rafa starts, but explaining that he stands alone in the middle of a path, stopping to watch the birds, is probably a too weird thing to trust a stranger with. "I guess it's my own fault for standing here," is what he settles for, and he doesn't like how dull it sounds, but the giant stranger smiles again.

"I am Marc," he says and stretches his hand out. Marc's hands are giant as well, but they don't crush Rafa's when they shake hands.

"Rafael," he says, maybe one or two seconds too later, but Marc only smiles again.

"It was nice to meet you, Rafael," Marc says, withdrawing his hand, "I hope I'll see you around."

Rafa seriously doubts that because Marc looks way too European to actually be from here and the tourists never find their ways to their farm, but he says with such a conviction, that Rafa finds himself hoping it as well.

 

~

 

Two weeks later and Rafa hasn't seen Marc again. He doesn't think much about it, though, because life comes and life goes and has better things to do. He only has one month left and he can't afford to spend all the time doing nothing now, not when he still has to write two essays for his classes. He takes his notes and his laptop outside when it isn't raining, to a bench near the water hole. He discovered it when he finally went to the water hole with his siblings the other day, and while the bench is hard, it isn't dirty nor wet so it's the most ideal spot he can find.

Rafa pounders about how to fill the pages without repeating himself for the tenth time when he sees Marc walking by.

He actually looks a bit like an angel with the sun shining on him and leaving his blonde hair all glowy and soft.

Marc turns around and sees him, and Rafa swears he can even see from the distance that Marc's face lights up. Marc strides towards him like that, hair glowing and face glowing, and he looks beautiful.

"Hi," Marc says, and he sounds a bit breathless. Rafa doesn't mind.

"Hi," he says, and Marc sits down next to him and somehow is able to struck up a conversation even if they don't have anything to talk about.

Rafa notices that he likes to watch Marc while he speaks, hair and face still glowing in the sun.

 

~

 

They did exchange numbers after they talked. Rafa doesn't text him immediately and neither does Marc, but Marc calls in the evening and asks him out.

"On a date?" Rafa asked because he doesn't even know if he was ever on a real, proper dates. His past relationships just happened, kind of.

"Yeah, well if you want to?" Marc answers, "We could go to this pub, it's not fancy or anything, but they have good beer there."

There's only one pub around and Rafa knows that better than anyone so he just laughs.

"I'll show you something else instead. Can you pick me up?" Marc says yes and Rafa explains how to drive to their farm.

"You know, the idea was that I'm going to seduce you, and not the other way around," Marc laughs.

"I think you really have to work on your seducing methods if they only are me and you sitting in a pub full of old men who I know since I was born."

Marc laughs and hangs up.

 

~

 

They go to the mountains.

Rafa and Marc hike their way up to one of them, Rafa leading the way. He knows exactly what he wants to show Marc.

They stop when they reach a yellow bridge, that has seen better days, Rafa has to admit that, but it will take them to the little waterfalls behind one of the lakes. It's a place Rafinha discovered when he was a teenager, and he and Dani thought it would be a good idea to discover the forest alone. It wasn't because they almost got eaten by a crocodile, but Rafa knows now not to go in any lakes anymore.

"It's beautiful," Marc says, when he sees the waterfalls and the tiny patch of grass in front of them. They'll have to cuddle up to both not lie on mud or scratchy plants, and well, Rafa can't say that it bothers him.

They are both sweaty and Marc's ribcage isn't the best pillow, but Rafa looks up and can see the birds flying above them, and he feels Marc's breathing and he hears the splashing sound of the waterfalls.

"I like birds," Marc says, out of nothing and Rafa feels his heart speeding up a little. "Maybe not like, liking isn't the right word. They are kind of beautiful and kind of scary, aren't they? They can just fly away and be free, whenever they want, and they actually do that, all the time. When are we free like that?"

"Probably never," Rafa replies, but he can't lie to himself, he feels free like that right now with Marc, watching the birds.

 

~

 

The summer is ending. Rafa might be in love with a giant named Marc. He still eats pancakes and still helps his father with the horses and is still teased by his siblings.

Some things just don't change that fast.

 

~

 

Marc goes back to Berlin, Rafa has to go back to Barcelona.

"You're going to call, right?" Marc asks. Rafa only nods. They hug and Rafa breathes in the scent of Marc, one that reminds him of the yellow warmth of the sun, and the splashing sound of water, the scent of freshly grass and long nights on abandoned beaches, just the two of them.

"Pinky Promise," Rafa adds. Marc laughs, but they do the Pinky Promise anyway. Marc pulls him into another hug.

"You never told me why you came here," Rafa mumbles against his chest. He feels Marc's heavy arms around him and Marc just all around him, and Rafa asks himself when hugs became this intimate, this good.

"I never had a good reason," Marc's voice is a bit lower and quieter than usual, "It was spontaneous, the flight was cheap, I packed my bags and came here."

"So you won't come back?"

Marc breaks their hug and steps back. "Now I have a good reason to come back, Rafael," his eyes are shiny and Rafa's hands are trembling, but on both of their faces is an unsure smile.

 

~

 

When Dani asks him about his summer, Rafa only shrugs. He doesn't feel like remembering Marc or all the memories that are bound to his home, now. He feels more like drinking vodka and ignoring Dani until he is drunk enough to forget everything he tells Dani the next morning.

"So nothing happened? And you want to tell me that you are drinking vodka because the taste is so amazing?"

"Am I not allowed to get drunk anymore?" Rafa grumbles, but he knows he already lost that fight. It's simply not possible to have secrets when you are friends with Dani Alves.

"Only when you tell me what happened, so that we can get drunk together. I'm miserable too, by the way. I still haven't finished my essay and we both know Guardialo will rip me apart, I'm not ready for that." Dani dramatically falls back on Rafa's couch and takes a sip out of the bottle. He hands Rafa the vodka and pats his back when he coughs. "Now talk."

So Rafa talks. He tells Dani about Marc running into him, and about their conversation on the bench, about the waterfalls and about watching the birds. He tells him about hugs and too long staring at each other, and he tells him about being possibly in love with someone he hasn't even kissed yet.

"You went to a date in the fucking woods - that we discovered I might add, you owe me one - but you haven't kissed that guy yet?"

"Well," Rafa says because he really can't say something about that. It's true.

"How did you even communicate with him?"

"My decent English and his very decent Spanish? It worked, somehow."

"Incredible," Dani lets out a sigh, "And now? You're gonna be sad until I find you someone else?"

"No, no, no, Marc isn't like that!"

Dani looks at him like he might be going crazy.

"Shit," Dani says and hands him the bottle again. "You are in love with a German Giant that you haven't kissed yet, and the chance that you see that guy is again is probably around zero, am I right? Drink, princesa, drink. I don't think there's a good solution for this disaster."

 

~

 

Marc calls him two days after he got drunk with Dani. He is in the cafeteria of his University right now, and he has been drinking water and eating a banana because everything else is too disgusting to even look at it. Dani shoots him a knowing look when he smiles at Marc's text message, asking if he has time to talk to him. Rafa types a back a quick yes and two seconds later his phone rings.

"Hey," he says.

"Hey," Marc says. There's a short, awkward silence, but Marc manages to ask him what he has been up to.

"It's been busy," he says, "School started and I have too much work to do to even take a lunch break, and well, our cafeteria is disgusting anyway, so I am eating a banana right now."

Marc laughs, and tells him about Berlin's festivals, and markets and Starbucks and the expensive metro. Rafa listens and it almost feels like Marc is right beside him again.

 

~

 

They talk every two days on the phone and text each other random stuff in the meantime for six straight months. Neymar accuses him of forgetting real life and something other than his phone, Dani rolls his eyes and Adriano gently pats his shoulders and smiles sadly at him as if he'd die any second.

It's a Monday when Marc calls. Rafa talked to him yesterday evening, so he doesn't really know why Marc calls, but he picks up anyway.

"Everything alright?" is the first thing he says because he can't help but worry.

"I need your help," Marc says, but he doesn't sound necessarily sad or quiet. "How do you get from the Barcelona airport to your flat without paying a fortune to a taxi?"

"Wait, - I mean, what?" It can't be, Rafa thinks. Marc can't be here. "I'm here," Marc answers him and he can hear his smile through the bad quality of their phone call and the background noise.

"But how? You have classes!"

"Didn't you ever ask why I can speak Spanish? I'm doing my Master in Barcelona." And yes, Marc has a point, but Rafa was too caught up in Marc's everything to think too much about his language skills.

"Oh my god, you fucker, why haven't you told me something?" Rafa tries to sound at least a bit angry, but he feels lighter than he did for weeks and the bubbly feeling in his chest is only getting stronger.

"I didn't know if everything would work out," Marc says, "And I didn't want you to expect me only to be disappointed. So, which kind of train do I have to take?"

"Stay where you are, I will pick you up."

"Thanks, Rafael."

 

~

 

Rafa never drove the fifteen kilometre to the airport as fast he is doing now. He took Dani's car because Neymar's looks like it might fall apart when he drives faster than 10 km/h and he can't bring himself to slow down.

He has to search a bit for Marc, but he isn't someone you just overlook, not when he is hovering above all the other people, a blonde, glowing head.

Later, Rafa doesn't even try to deny that he ran to Marc all through the Departure Hall like an excited puppy.

Later, Rafa will only remember Marc's smile and then Marc's lips on his own, and the taste of cheese and mint and salt, he will remember Marc's arms that press him closer to his body and he will remember panting and Marc's mouth, breathing in the same air as Marc, breathing in Marc.

Later, he will remember how it feels like coming home.

 


End file.
